Captain Swan: The Price of Magic
by morecolorfulmoniker
Summary: Just something I had on my mind last night that I wanted to type out. The podcast from 'And Straight On Till Morning" mentioned that whether Emma liked it or not, she would have to learn more about magic in the coming season, and I wondered how that might play into a Captain Swan situation, and this is what I came up with!


Emma sat on the deck of the Jolly Roger, staring down at her hands. She could still feel the power of the self-destruct burning at the edges of her fingers. How was it that she had enough magic within her, when contributed with Regina's, to stop an unstoppable force? Magic always comes with a price. She had heard that countless times, and she knew it well enough by now. But why would anyone want a gift that, more often than not, came with heartbreaking and painful consequences? Yes, her magic had helped to save Storybrooke and all of its inhabitants. But the price had been the loss of her child.

She was born with magic…the product of true love. So it's not like it was going away anytime soon. As much as she may not have wanted to admit it, magic was a part of her, and she couldn't ignore it any longer. Especially if the…thing…that awaited them in Neverland was as dangerous as Mr. Gold said.

She sighed, pushing her hands back through her hair, and stood up. Mr. Gold was standing nearby, not looking forward towards Neverland, but staring at the foam path left behind the ship. With one last look at her hands, Emma took in a deep breath and stepped closer to him.

"Mr. Gold?" she said as he turned to look at her, appearing somewhat surprised at her presence.

"Yes, Ms. Swan?"

"If I'm stuck with magic, I want to know how to control it. You helped me before, and I was hoping that you could help me again." He smiled, his look more curious than amused.

"Why now?"

"If we're going to face something big in Neverland, I want to be ready for it." He looked past her, towards Neverland now, a flicker of fear in his eyes.

"All right, I'll help you."

"What's your price?" Emma asked as Mr. Gold smiled again, this time a more familiar, mischievous smile.

"No price, Dearie. Magic comes with its own price, which you'll have to learn to pay if you're going to attempt to control it." Emma nodded.

"When do we start?"

"Tomorrow."

Emma awoke early the next morning, as the sun was just starting to rise. The sky was still dark, with just a hint of orange on the horizon. Mr. Gold was already waiting for her on deck while Hook stood at the helm after what appeared to be a sleepless night. He glanced down at them curiously before turning his attention back to the water.

"We're going to start with a basic telekinesis spell. I want you to pick up that box and move it somewhere else." He gestured towards an empty wooden box sitting nearly 50 feet from them.

"I just do it?" Emma asked, confused.

"See yourself lifting it and moving it, and then just do it," he said. "You're only obstacle is believing that you can."

Emma took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and lifted her hand up towards the box. When nothing happened, she closed her eyes again and made a second attempt, but still nothing happened. The box didn't budge.

"You don't believe," Mr. Gold said from behind her.

"Why wouldn't I believe? I've seen it done before. You, Regina, Cora," she said in frustration.

"You don't place yourself into the same category as myself or Regina. You've only seen magic like this performed by people you don't trust. But magic isn't good or evil, Dearie. It's just magic."

"Perhaps if she were to try it on something else," a new voice said as they both turned to see Hook looking down at them.

"And when was the last time that you used magic?" Mr. Gold snapped, glaring up at him.

"I'm merely pointing out that her magic seemed to pack quite a punch when she used it on Cora, who happened to be threatening her life. So perhaps if she were to attempt it on a person, it would be easier."

"And who exactly do you have in mind?" Mr. Gold asked as Hook held his hands out, smirking.

"Not a chance. The situation with Cora was different. I'm not going to hurt you just because I can," Emma said immediately.

"Love, I'm quite accustomed to taking a hit. Being knocked out, hit by cars, and generally left for dead." He winked at her as she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment and guilt. She quickly regained her composure, however, shaking her head at him.

"I'm perfectly fine with this plan," Mr. Gold added, a twisted smile on his face. "I could give you a small demonstration, if you like." He moved to raise his hand up towards Hook, but Emma grabbed his wrist.

"I'll do it. So the two of you don't kill each other," she said, looking towards Hook, who had already unsheathed his sword and was glaring down at Mr. Gold. "And I take it the ship is going to steer itself?" she asked as Hook stepped away from the wheel and walked down the stairs to stand in front of the box she was trying to move earlier.

"She'll be fine."

Emma took a couple of steps closer to Hook before she stopped, closed her eyes, and raised her hand, concentrating as hard as she possibly could. Hook was forced a couple of steps back, but he maintained his balance easily.

"Come on, Swan, give me all you've got," he said, that familiar smirk ever-present on his face.

Emma tried again, her head beginning to ache from the intense concentration. Again, Hook was forced back several steps, but he remained standing. She sighed in exasperation, running her fingers through her hair and dropping her head down to the ground.

"Emma," Hook said softly, forcing her to look up at him. His blue eyes were soft, and all of a sudden she could see everything that he was feeling. Exhaustion, concern, sadness. But there was also hope there. A twinkle in those blue eyes that she had never seen before. He believed in her. "I want you to close your eyes." She looked at him curiously, and his eyes suddenly burned brighter. Finally, she obliged. "I want you to picture Henry, every detail about him. Think about how much he means to you." She saw Henry's face, his smile. She could almost feel his arms wrapped around her, and this brought a smile to her own face. "Now imagine Greg and Tamara taking him through the portal. Taking him fro you. And with that in mind, I want you to open your eyes on the count of three and try again. Don't hesitate, you understand?" She nodded, rage beginning to consume her now. "One, two, THREE!" She opened her eyes and simultaneously raised her hands, shaking with anger, and sent Hook flying across the deck. He landed hard against a pyramid of boxes, disappearing beneath them as they collapsed down on top of him.

"Killian!" Emma yelled, snapping back to reality. She ran over to him, digging through the splintered wood until she found him, bruises already forming on his face and his lip bleeding. He sat up, wincing as he did. Emma looked him up and down, pulling at his vest and looking for any signs of serious injury, but he quickly placed his hand over hers to stop her, sending a shock through her as she froze in place.

"Emma, I'm fine. No permanent harm done," he said, reaching up and wiping away a small stream of blood from his chin before he looked up at her, beaming. His blue eyes were brighter than she had ever seen them.

"I'm so sorry," she said, her voice shaking. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest, both from the shock of the power that she had and the fact that she had nearly killed the man who was willing to face possible death to help her save her son, who he had no other connection to but through her.

"Look at me, I'm all right. I've been through worse than this, on this very deck." He glanced down at his hook, his expression sad for a moment before he smiled again. "You have an incredible gift, Emma."

"After I almost killed you, you still think it's incredible?" she asked, half-laughing at the relief of knowing that he was really all right.

"I'm not talking about magic. I'm talking about what fuels it. You have a gift for making others believe in the power of true love, even when they thought they no longer could."

Slowly, he reached up and placed his good hand at the back of her neck, pulling her into a kiss. Gentle at first, their lips barely touching, but growing in intensity until her hands were tangled in his hair and the cold metal of his hook was pressed tightly against the small of her back, sending shivers down her spine as he urged her closer to him.

After several long moments, they both pulled back, but neither said a word. There were no words to say. Just an electricity surrounding them, as if the air itself could ignite at any moment. They just sat looking at each other. Emma stared deep into those blue eyes that were burning with such intensity that she couldn't look away…and she never wanted to. If this was the price of magic, she'd gladly pay it.


End file.
